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However, Intu, which owns the likes of the Trafford Centre in Manchester and Lakeside in Essex, believes that political opponents of extended Sunday hours will eventually cave in to public opinion.

Intu commercial director Trevor Pereira said: “Shopping patterns are changing. Week day evenings are more important than they used to be and on an hour-by-hour basis, Sunday is now the busiest day of the shopping week.

“Opening hours will have to be extended because of those changes. This is not a dead issue, it will come back, the customer is absolutely demanding it.”

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Government plans to relax Sunday trading were put on hold last month after opposition

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At the moment, large stores and supermarkets can open for only six hours on Sundays

This is not a dead issue, it will come back, the customer is absolutely demanding it

Intu commercial director Trevor Pereira

According to Intu, Sunday is the second busiest shopping day of the week, with 44 per cent of the population going to the shops on that day.

Saturday is the most popular day to shop at 61 per cent.

Thursday is third on 43 per cent. It also found that despite the huge growth in the online retail sector, in most categories, the vast majority of people preferred to browse and buy items in store.

Intu found that the categories where people preferred to make online purchases were film and music, holidays, home technology and white goods.

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Intu believes opponents of extended Sunday hours will eventually cave in to public opinion

However, when it came to making DIY and garden purchases, nearly three times as many people preferred to go to a shop.

The number of people who favoured choosing clothes, shoes and handbags in a shop was nearly double that online.

Browsing and buying in shops was most popular with people under 24, whereas shopping online was the most popular with those in their 30s and 40s.